How a D-Class Alchemist Avoids Death

I jumped down from atop the boss, running towards the two people wearing dumbfounded look on their faces.

[Seo Taeju – Contamination Level 78%]

[Woo Hanseong – Contamination Level 12%]

No, I know about Seo Taeju’s, but Woo Hanseong definitely wasn’t contaminated before, so where did it come from?

First, I handed Salt to Seo Taeju, whose contamination level was critical.

“Hey. Make sure to have Salt on you.”

“Ppi!”

Salt chirped as I mentioned him without Woo Hanseong knowing.

“Shush, Salt. Stay quiet. But what’s this? Why are you both here?”

“We’re here because Go-woon-ssi was said to be swept up in a wave.”

“Oh. You were worried. But it’s only a B-rank wave… By the way, Seo Taeju, did you come because of me too?”

“Yep.”

Carefully holding Salt in one hand, he continued scanning me with his anxious eyes.

Just how weak does that brat think I am? Surely he doesn’t think I still can’t handle a B-rank monster wave on my own.

“Are you hurt?”

“Hey, do I look like I can’t even handle B-rank?”

“No, you never know. You’re not hurt, right?”

“I’m not. But how come you came with Woo Hanseong-ssi?”

“Well… He came to our house.”

[T/N: Taeju still thinks Hanseong is a guy]

“He1?”

I wonder what happened. Did the two become friends while I was gone? The sudden informal speech threw me off.

“You two became friends?”

“No. We just agreed to speak informally.”

They’re not friends, but they agreed to speak informally? What nonsense is this?

Meanwhile, Seo Taeju was the one who shifted this confusing conversation to a new topic.

“Hyung, why are you still like this even after taking down the boss?”

“Oh, that’s… I was going to take a rest and go another round since I’m already here. But now that you guys are here… I guess all the respawned monsters are already dead.”

The reason I stuck around even after defeating the boss wasn’t anything special.

Once the clear time ends, I’d be automatically discharged anyway. So, I was just waiting with the intention of leveling up a bit more.

“Ah, sorry. We killed everything on the way here… Should we wait some more from now on?”

“No need. I’m not that desperate to level up.”

As I shook my head to indicate it’s fine, Seo Taeju smiled brightly.

“Why are you smiling? Are you laughing because you think I’m easy?”

“No, it just seems like you’re being a bit gentle.”

What’s wrong with this guy? Where and how, what is he lacking to act like this?

‘Where did I go wrong? He wasn’t a screw-loose guy when we first met.’

“Stop spouting nonsense and let’s go home. Hanseong-ssi too.”

Woo Hanseong nodded, bowing her head.

Is she being shy? Or is she still not used to us?

She answered well earlier, was it because she was too shocked then?

‘Neither two of them are normal.’

The three of us, including me shaking my head, stepped onto the escape gate behind the boss’s corpse.

Bright clusters of light shot up.

***

The country road I had been swept away on was, as if nothing had ever happened, was as peaceful as ever. Even the black spots that were on the ground like ink had disappeared.

‘I guess Woo Hanseong won’t die now.’

I felt good. I saved a person, not by plan like Shin Suha or Michael, but by chance. Nonetheless, it still felt good.

“Ah. Right. Woo Hanseong-ssi. I have something to say.”

“Yes.”

“There seems to be a misunderstanding, but I’m not being kind to you because I’m a real blacksmith… Well, at first, I did approach you because I’m a blacksmith and wanted a sword. But…”

“I know.”

“You do?”

What does she know? That I approached her intentionally because she’s a blacksmith? Or that I was being nice to her because she’s a blacksmith?

“I heard it from your younger brother.”

“Younger brother… Hey. Why are you pretending to be polite to my brother?”

Woo Hanseong glared at Seo Taeju who tried to intervene in her conversation.

“What?”

“You’re not polite.”

Seo Taeju laughed as if it were amusing, and this time, Woo Hanseong gripped the handle of her hammer tighter.

‘What on earth happened between them in that short time?’

And this was, in many ways, quite a difficult situation for me to comprehend. Unlike the usual me, or rather Seo Go-woon, who always acted older, for some reason, there was no sense of distance with Woo Hanseong. As if they were a friend of the same age.

“Alright. Let’s not fight. What were you talking about?”

“Just everything you were talking about, hyung?”

I looked at him suspiciously, but Taeju just shrugged his shoulders.

“I apologize for doubting you.”

“No, it was my fault from the beginning.”

I don’t know what they talked about, but it was fortunate that Woo Hanseong dispelled her misunderstanding.

‘I thought I should clarify the misunderstanding, but I didn’t think it would work.’

Seeing Woo Hanseong, I chuckled, causing Taeju to grumble this time.

“How long are you going to stay here?”

“I should be going now. Did you bring your car?”

In response, there was a beep, the sound of the car being unlocked.

“You should get in too. It’s not far from here. Oh, and don’t bring the hammer in the car. The car is more expensive than you think.”

“I had planned to do so. And… no matter how expensive, how much could it be?”

As Woo Hanseong let go of the hammer she was holding, the hammer, which she expected to make a thud, turned into a shower of light and disappeared.

As I looked in surprise, Woo Hanseong gave an awkward smile.

“It’s a skill.”

A hammer is a skill? Why is this guy, Seo Go-woon, an alchemist? If he was a blacksmith, that would be so much better. He could wield any blunt weapon without a magic stone.

“Aren’t you getting in?”

“Huh? Oh, let’s go.”

I hastily sat in the passenger seat, and the car started. Seo Taeju’s car, which I was riding for the second time. And that too, in the passenger seat.

‘I almost died the first time I rode it.’

I really thought he was going to die then.

I barely held back the urge to hit the back of the head of the guy who was driving.

What if there was an accident after hitting him? Taeju might be fine since he’s an SS-class hunter, but it would be tough for me and the frail Woo Hanseong.

“Hey. Are you living alone at home?”

“Yeah.”

“Then give me some food.”

Woo Hanseong’s face in the rear-view mirror crumpled without mercy.

“Why do you suddenly want food?”

“Hyung. I’m hungry. I didn’t even have breakfast. I was so flustered I even lost my doughnut.”

“Doughnut?”

“Ah, I don’t know. I don’t remember the details, so don’t ask. Anyway, Woo Hanseong, are you going to give me food or not?”

Come to think of it, I didn’t eat breakfast either because we agreed to bring food when we returned from guild work.

Already past 3 o’clock, as soon as I realized that I had been starving for almost half a day, I suddenly felt hungry.

“I don’t have any rice at home.”

“You don’t have any food at home?”

“Don’t have any?”

At Woo Hanseong’s nervous tone, Taeju clicked his tongue.

“Have you eaten yet,  Hanseong-ssi?”

“Ah, no. I haven’t eaten yet.”

“Then, what do you want to eat?”

“No. You promised to make me stir-fried pork today.” Taeju pouted, as if he thought I had forgotten our promise.

It was always strange to see this guy, who was so detailed even to the point of pouting. Was this really the same guy who, when we first met, was nothing but a pain and even talked about better off dying?

“I can make that tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow will be what I want to eat tomorrow.”

It was such a firm tone that anyone would think he made a big resolution.

“If you want stir-fried pork, order it-“

“I want to eat the one you make. The taste is different.”

This b*stard. Really.

“Hey. What do you want me to do then? You said you were hungry!”

“Cook at Hanseong’s place.”

“How can we cook in someone else’s house? Is that our house?”

“Hey, Woo Hanseong. My brother cooks really well, don’t you want to try it?”

At Seo Taeju’s words, I snorted.

He seemed to think that Woo Hanseong would innocently reply, ‘Okay.’ But Woo Hanseong is not such an easy figure. I’ve worked so hard to get into that house, and now you think she’ll let you in just for some stir-fried pork?

“I don’t have the ingredients at home.”

‘Huh? What?’

I turned my head sharply and looked at Woo Hanseong.

“I have it in my Infinite Pouch. I bought groceries in advance because he promised to cook for me today.”

“We don’t have a frying pan to stir-fry.”

“It’s okay. I have a frying pan too.”

“Then it’s settled. Let’s go.”

How did this happen?

Seo Taeju, that bastard, is getting into the house I struggled so hard to get into in one shot?

And all because he asked for a meal?

“Hyung, what’s wrong?”

Seo Taeju, who was driving, called me as I remained silent. However, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Woo Hanseong. Perhaps sensing my gaze, Woo Hanseong turned her head with an awkward expression.

‘Wow, I feel betrayed.’

“Hyung, you have to make something delicious today. We’ve gone through a lot looking for you.”

Instead of blaming Woo Hanseong, I smacked the back of the head of the grinning guy who was indifferent to traffic accidents and everything else.

***

“Why don’t you sit if it’s not going to collapse?”

I heard Woo Hanseong’s sharp voice.

“How did you live in a place like this?”

“Hey. Watch your mouth. In front of the landlord who lived just fine.”

“Does the heating work?”

Just as Hanseong was about to respond to his dismissive remark about the house,

“Ouch! Why are you hitting me!”

“If you say something deserving a hit, you should be hit.”

Along with the thud, I heard Taeju’s scream.

‘Served him right, then. He deserved it.’

I nodded and continued to cook the pork. I never thought I’d be making spicy stir-fried pork at someone else’s house.

So far, I’ve brought a lot of food and side dishes to Woo Hanseong’s house, but the rice was instant rice, and the side dishes were bought from a side dish shop.

‘My kindness only extends to the side dish shop.’

With a tsk, I lowered the flame under the pot of rice.

As I’ve noticed before, Woo Hanseong’s kitchen was empty, making it impossible to tell what she ate.

If Seo Taeju, who occasionally cooked food in the dungeon, hadn’t brought out the basics like chili paste and cooking oil, no matter how much he threw a tantrum or rolled on the floor, I wouldn’t have been able to make the spicy stir-fried pork.

‘Is it ready now?’

After checking whether the rice in the pot was fully cooked, I called out to the still-fighting duo.

“Stop it and get ready to eat.”

“Yes.”

“Hey. Where’s the dining table?”

“Dining table? I don’t have one.”

“Then where do you… No, never mind. Considering the state of this place, it’s strange that I even expected one.”

At Seo Taeju’s words, I also looked at Woo Hanseong. Her house barely had anything, and now she’s saying she doesn’t even have a dining table? Then where has she been eating all this time?

“Where did you eat all this while?”

“Me? The sink.”

A sigh naturally escaped at her casual response.

“Let’s just eat on the floor.”

“Alright. Just a moment.”

Like me, Seo Taeju sighed. He entered a room as if it were his own house and returned carrying two thick books.

“Hyung, I found the pot stand.”

“Good, well done.”

I placed the frying pan and the pot on the books Taeju had laid on the floor. While not extravagant, there was enough rice and side dishes to fill us up.

“It smells delicious. Let’s eat.”

“Bon appétit.”

“Enjoy your meal.”

While I was serving rice into the disposable bowls Taeju had brought from his Infinite Pouch, the two were already picking up pieces of the stir-fried pork and exchanging comments on the taste.

“It’s delicious.”

“Isn’t it? I told you. My hyung is good at cooking.” At Hanseong’s praise, Taeju smugly nodded.

I’m the one who cooked, why is he being so smug?

With a wry smile, I shook my head and took a bite of the stir-fried pork.

For me, cooking was about survival. The support fund I received when I left the orphanage was not even enough to find a house.

Just when I thought everything was over after barely finding a place to live, unexpected problems popped up.

Living expenses. The old saying that it costs money just to breathe turned out to be my reality.

Electricity bills, water bills, gas bills, communication bills, and et cetera.

No matter how tightly I lived, there was a certain amount of money that I had to spend.

I couldn’t even dream of eating out, and if there were unexpected expenses, there were many days when I couldn’t even afford to eat a triangle gimbap, which I normally ate once a day.

The cafeteria ajumma (middle-aged woman) who pitied me gave me ingredients that couldn’t be served to customers because they were damaged, and taught me how to cook.

The food made from free ingredients tasted worse than expected. However, for the first time since leaving the orphanage, I was able to experience what it felt like to be full.

Since then, I’ve been cooking. At first, it was cooking to fill my belly, but as time went by, I began to understand the joy of cooking and the happiness of taste.

After I joined the military, I somehow managed to live on makeshift meals, but still, I preferred delicious food.

“Hey. Pick up one piece at a time.”

“Don’t you dare grab a bunch. Are you being ungrateful?! I bought all the ingredients!”

“Oh, is it about the money? I’ll pay, will that solve it?!”

Watching the kids fight over wanting to eat more made me feel like I had done a good job.

***

Sitting in a restaurant with soft classical music playing, I casually loosened the necktie that felt as though it was choking me.

“Uncomfortable?”

A genderless pronoun, can be he or she/ that person[]